# How many people like gel nails here?



## DavaL (Sep 17, 2013)

Just wanna do a research here, is there any of you like gel nail here? why?


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## Monika1 (Sep 17, 2013)

I've never tried them, and likely will not in the long-term future. Why? I have other polish that I want to use and enjoy the creative process of choosing my polish colours and creating interesting combinations myself. Also, it's valuable practice for dexterity and hand-eye coordination. I worry about the additional light required for curing and the extended effort and exposure required for their removal. Traveling to a salon on a regular basis, and the added expense, does not appeal to me.

On the other hand, women who love them are able to maintain a very sturdy mani for two weeks under harsher conditions.

If you are a person for whom many of the following are true:

- likes to visit a salon biweekly OR would prefer to invest in the supplies for gel yourself

- is comfortable with this biweekly expense OR investment into personal equipment

- wants hassle-free nails for two weeks at a stretch

- will commit to regular removal and re-application visits OR will deal with removal at home

- is comfortable with the grow-out you will see in week two OR will go more often to a salon for extended maintenance so grow-out isn't visible OR will personally maintain

- does not have much nail polish at home OR is comfortable not using it OR will use the gel as the base for other manis

- must have a more sturdy base for regular manis AND prefers not to use other alternatives

- has very soft breakable nails, where regular manis are not possible

- has a busy lifestyle where doing a mani at home will not work

- is comfortable with the salon environment, sanitation, and compounds used OR will do it at home, and is similarly comfortable with needed compounds

- enjoys the pampered feeling of aesthetic service

- wants to enjoy professional artistic skills

- has hands in the water a lot

- uses hands a lot, and generally breaks natural nails

it might be that gel nails would work for you. Good luck. I would maybe try them once if you're seriously considering, and then you will have the experience to judge whether it would be a good longer-term approach.


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## DonnaD (Sep 17, 2013)

I have used UV gel in the past to build up a tip if one of my nails break.  By the time the nail grows out, the gel just kind of falls off from filing.  I bought a whole UV gel nail system but I don't think I'd ever go for full-nails gel.  I would worry about how damaging it is to my nail beds.

I do like the look of them, however, and I would definitely recommend them for people with thin, brittle or weak mails.


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## KeepOnSingin (Sep 18, 2013)

I *LOVE* UV gel nails! In my experience, they are not at all damaging, as long as you get them done by a good nail tech. In fact, I've come out with healthier nails after having gels on than what they were when I got them put on. They stay put much better than acrylics, are thinner and more flexible and therefore less likely to break, and you can paint over them if you ever get bored and want to do something different. Plus, you can go longer without fills than you can with acrylic. They don't lift, and since they're thinner, it's less noticeable when there's new growth. If I could afford them, I would have them pretty much all the time.


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## Rubyblood (Oct 5, 2013)

I do the at home set and Haven't had much issues with it. I love doing it for vacations or when I am going to be photographing weddings. The disadvantage is I like to change my colors up every couple days when I have time and they last a little too long for me.


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## TheLipstickLady (Oct 8, 2013)

I think gel and shellac are pretty much the same thing, and I *love* shellac nail polish. I used to get shellac manicures done exclusively at the salon, by a really talented and efficient nail tech. The color would last for more than two weeks; I would have to get my nails redone only because they grew out too much...not because of chipping or fading. And with all the special effects that can be done with "additives," now...well there really isn't any regular nail polish color that can't be pretty much duplicated with shellac.

I ended up getting a bunch of CND shellac polishes and the UV light for home. I am glad I made the investment, but the truth is I am not nearly as good as my nail tech at giving myself a shellac manicure. The color gets too much on my skin, and it is awkward to try and remove it from the skin. I also end up being able to kind of peel the paint off my nails, when I do shellac myself. I think it's because I paint the layers on too thick, and for some reason it is difficult for me to paint thinner layers. So, while the at-home system is cost-efficient, the results aren't nearly as nice as what can be done by the right nail artist. Another downside to shellac is that the color needs to be soaked and scraped off, which isn't the most pleasant activity.

However, if a nail tech or any other person has the right amount of skill and practice, then shellac is SO worth it. The pros far outweigh the cons, in my opinion. I used to think I would *never* go back to regular nail polish, until I decided the salon visits were a tad expensive to keep up on, consistently. But it is just so nice to have nail color that doesn't go anywhere. It's resistant to nics, chips, and fading, and there is no drying time, because the UV light "cures" the paint. I also personally think shellac nails look spectacular.


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## maeiland (Oct 8, 2013)

I usually get gel done when i'm going on a trip that will be a week or longer. I want to make sure my mani &amp; pedi last the whole time without chips and it helps keep my nails from breaking. Gel usually lasts on my toes for 2 months before the growth is noticeable and about 3 weeks on my hands. I've never used an at home gel kit, I always go to the salon.


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## TheLipstickLady (Oct 9, 2013)

@maeiland - That's a good rule of thumb... nowadays I generally just shellac before a trip/vacation somewhere, so that the paint lasts the entire time. And before the trip, I'd of course get it done at the salon, because my nail tech is the God(dess) of her trade.

If I were a millionaire, I'd likely get shellac-ed consistently, but this hasn't happened, yet.

I will likely mess with my at-home system here and there. I already have it, so might as well. And who knows, I may someday get really good at it.


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## luckyme502 (Oct 9, 2013)

I used to get gel done at the salon, but the last tech who did it, did such a horrible job that I went to Ulta and got a kit myself because there was no way I could do a worse job than the tech! I've had the kit a couple months now and I've gotten pretty good at it. I only use or as a base for regale nail polish. I just soaked my gels off two days ago and put on a regular base coat and polish.


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## jamesrobert (Oct 22, 2013)

I have never tried it. Do you think i should give it a try??


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## DavaL (Oct 28, 2013)

So interesting that, my people always complaint to me that the gel nail cannot last long enough before peel off.


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## had706 (Oct 28, 2013)

I've been doing my own gel nails at home for about a year and a half. I tried various brands but prefer CND shellac. I really like the length of time my nails last (mine lasts about 10 days) and the fact my nails are completely dry so quickly. Recently I've been getting tired of the whole process and been seeing some damage to my nails so I've been mixing it up with regular polish too.


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## AlexandraB (Oct 28, 2013)

Ive just recently had gel nails put on and had them on my nails for about 8 days so far, no signs of chipping, nails are still healthy and strong, the finish on the nails was very nice and clean and glossy. I would definitely go back and have them done again, although I had them done for a special occasion (wedding) and therefore will probably stick to regular polish for a while until I can afford to upkeep getting my nails done.


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## caperella0 (Oct 28, 2013)

Are you asking about gel nail enhancements or gel polish?


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## KimberlyP (Oct 28, 2013)

I do my own soak-off UV nails at home. I use a clear gel so that I can change my polish often. I don't have to soak off the gel to change just the color. I never had any problems with them peeling or such. It can be application that causes such issues.


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## sushiteaz (Nov 5, 2013)

I love how they look but it's a B to take them off even with brands that claim they're soak offs. After arduous hours of soaking my nails to take off my gel mani's (one time it took me up to 4 hours to completely take off), I came up with my own way of doing my gel manis. Instead of using the bonder and actual gel colored polishes, I use regular nail polish and used a gel top coat. If i carefully do the prep work before doing my nails (clean them properly and leaving no oils), with my technique, my nails can last about 2 weeks with just a gel top coat and taking off the polish is as hard as taking off glitter polish.


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## rigs32 (Nov 5, 2013)

I think a big part of how long gel polish lasts depends in application. A good application can last three weeks. A bad application can peel in a week. I drive 20 min away to get mine done rather than going to someplace within walking distance so that they last 3 weeks.


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## KeepOnSingin (Nov 7, 2013)

Quote: Originally Posted by *caperella0* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  Are you asking about gel nail enhancements or gel polish?  



 

This.

There's a *HUGE* diffrence between the two!!


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## CaseyR (Nov 9, 2013)

I've tried gel polish which I actually liked, but haven't got around to get actual gel nails.  Something I want to try though.


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## BeautyQueenb (Nov 30, 2013)

It depends mostly if i actually need it


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## angelahillary (Dec 2, 2013)

Hi - I have gel nails and truly love them. I don't know what else to say. I like them alot.


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## Constancex (Jan 21, 2014)

Me me me i love gel nails!! It doesn't chip off easily and the brand i'm using doesnt have any foul smell!! It's really good and i love it alot!! the design of the bottle is really cool because it's black in colour. You all should try it too, it's called Angel Pro! https://www.facebook.com/AngelPro.HQ hehe!


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## beautybybrett (Jan 21, 2014)

I love them. Regular nail polish starts chipping on me in 24 hours. Gel nails have lasted as long as 3 weeks. I go to the salon, but am curious about the at home kits. Do you have a recommendation? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Monika1 (Jan 22, 2014)

Quote: Originally Posted by *Monika1* /img/forum/go_quote.gif
  I've never tried them, and likely will not in the long-term future. Why? I have other polish that I want to use and enjoy the creative process of choosing my polish colours and creating interesting combinations myself. Also, it's valuable practice for dexterity and hand-eye coordination. I worry about the additional light required for curing and the extended effort and exposure required for their removal. Traveling to a salon on a regular basis, and the added expense, does not appeal to me.

On the other hand, women who love them are able to maintain a very sturdy mani for two weeks under harsher conditions.

If you are a person for whom many of the following are true:

- likes to visit a salon biweekly OR would prefer to invest in the supplies for gel yourself

- is comfortable with this biweekly expense OR investment into personal equipment

- wants hassle-free nails for two weeks at a stretch

- will commit to regular removal and re-application visits OR will deal with removal at home

- is comfortable with the grow-out you will see in week two OR will go more often to a salon for extended maintenance so grow-out isn't visible OR will personally maintain

- does not have much nail polish at home OR is comfortable not using it OR will use the gel as the base for other manis

- must have a more sturdy base for regular manis AND prefers not to use other alternatives

- has very soft breakable nails, where regular manis are not possible

- has a busy lifestyle where doing a mani at home will not work

- is comfortable with the salon environment, sanitation, and compounds used OR will do it at home, and is similarly comfortable with needed compounds

- enjoys the pampered feeling of aesthetic service

- wants to enjoy professional artistic skills

- has hands in the water a lot

- uses hands a lot, and generally breaks natural nails

it might be that gel nails would work for you. Good luck. I would maybe try them once if you're seriously considering, and then you will have the experience to judge whether it would be a good longer-term approach.
Look at that! It took me only three months to (kind of) change my mind. The pros and cons are still listed above, but where I sit on the matter has moved. And the reality is that I can still use my regular polish, and do nail art, so no problem there. I might try doing the clear gel base with polish on top or the polish under with gel topcoat &lt; thanks @sushiteaz in the future. I had been doing some reading about gel polish, LED/UV lights (comparatively little exposure, especially if you use sunscreen and/or gloves), and acetone removal (drying, yes; but not that bad if you moisturize and reduce the exposure by localizing it to the top of the nail...then again, some claim full-on bowl soaking is also totally fine), and was getting more excited about the pluses. And then I got a gel polish kit (Sally Hansen) as a gift. And I'm happy about it. I'm doing it at home and have still never been to the salon. It's really easy to do - or course I'll gradually develop better technique (any super youtube recs or articles for technique?), and figure out what strategies work best. The finish is really gorgeous. And I'm done and not-dentable faster! &lt; Note I'm talking about gel polish. The kind that has nothing to do with the length of the nail or large-scale structure and is just a polish system with UV/LED cured base, polish, and topcoat that claims to last longer on the nail than regular polish, and does for most. It enhances the look and durability of the nail and polish but is not an 'enhancement'.  /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

I'm currently experimenting with multiple approaches using regular nail polish in the mix, so it'll be interesting to see what works best for me.


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## seraphin (Jan 22, 2014)

Gel nails last a lot longer for me and I think they look shinier than regular polish.  I just wish there were more color options!


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## melliemelissa (Jan 24, 2014)

Surely, it is better than acrylic nails which often permanently damages our nails. Although gel nail polish gave me a beautiful manicure that lasted almost three weeks. I love them.


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## hotpinkglitter (Jan 28, 2014)

I used to get gel manicures regularly. Gel nails are pretty much impenetrable and indestructible, even more so than acrylics in my experience. The only reason I stopped getting them is the cost. My salon charged me $40 a pop and that was just way too much, IMO. I do my own manicures at home now and even though it might not last as long, it still looks just as good, so it's a tradeoff.


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